Hurlshort

China is the number two trade partner to the United States, so I would hardly label them the enemy. Saudi Arabia is number 13 on the list, so maybe we could afford to snub them. Which allies are complaining about being snubbed, exactly?

Bad examples. Notice that his back is still straight and he is 'bowing' to respected ALLIES. This is as silly as the birth certificate argument. There are plenty of serious issues to debate about the Obama administration, like health care, military actions, and the budget. Plus, are we at war with Japan? The only DEEP bow I've seen from him was to the Japanese Emperor.

Calax, are we calling Greybriar the official Obsidianite server? I think we can safely say Defiant is our faction, those guardians are too goody two-shoesy.

Do you use voice? I don't like voice, especially w/my allergies meaning I cough and sneeze into a mic all the time. It would definitely be fun to hang out with y'all. I keep hoping for a game I'd like where it would happen. I'll think about it, but at the moment I'm not sure I'd have the dedication for it. I have a mic, but my daughter broke it awhile back. I don't really see the need for voice chat in MMO's, the action is fairly slow. Granted I've never been big on raids, and I hear that is where it is more important. I think there is a free weekend or there was one recently, I'll try to remember to PM you the next time they have one.

Still wondering what the answer to this is. It seems like it would be more rational to say that they are both unique countries with interesting cultures and history, and these side by side comparisons are all tremendously flawed.

Welcome to the club. Your membership card will arrive whenever I get around to mailing it.

Great, I'll add you. There are a few of you, surprisingly. I'll assume the one with the matching avatar is you. Calax knows some folks on the Defiant side of Greybriar, so I'm rolling a cleric there.

Do you have a Steam account? Calax and I are talking about it now. Time zones aren't an issue, I go to bed early enough to play with EST folks.

Well, I think Mal was in his 30's or 40's, so maybe we should give Gnarlwood a try? It's got a good name. Defiant or Guardian?

Hrm, with the success of FO:NV I was hoping things were going well for Obsidian. Hopefully it is just a bit of streamlining and not a sign of impending doom.

Rift definitely shares a lot in common with WoW, but it also borrows some of the strongest elements from all the recent MMO's that have come out. The nice thing is they pull it off very well, and the actual world, story line, and characters is fairly engaging. That took me by surprise the most, the two factions are both sympathetic causes. I've played through a good chunk of the Defiant story line and it is well done. So I've been playing on Crucia (level 25 Paladin/Void Knight) but I am willing to switch servers to group with Obsidianites. So far it sounds like Mal is on Gnarlwoord and Calax is between Faeblight/Arcanis. I don't mind RP servers, they tend to have a mature player base, but I'm not tied to being on one. You guys have any specific servers that stand out for a good reason? Join us LC Ent, you can get the monthly fee down to about $10 a month is you go with a 3-month plan.

Thornton had another classic celebration I have no idea who to root for between Chicago/Vancouver. I would rather play Chicago in the second round than Detroit, but neither is an idea match up. I can't help feeling terrible for the Canucks though.

Where you at? I like Rift, but I haven't found anyone I like to play it with. I'm in a big guild and I just haven't connected with anyone. I'm thinking about switching to a new server to see if I can find a community I gel with more.

Wine, anything collectible...there is quite a bit, actually. Land is usually a safe bet to gain value over time as well.

It always struck me as more of a horror-satire than a legitimate horror entry. I do find them surprisingly enjoyable though, it's awesome how they have kept the cast together over the iterations.

Yes, Russia has been a real beacon of Nuclear technology. They've barely had any major catastrophes.

[Killzone

It's being developed by the EVE Online team, so it does have a decent shot at being playable. It just still seems extremely far away at this point, there has been no actual media released on it.

Word, brother. of Darkness?

I'm thinking about mowing the lawn today. Yay.

I have a lot of issues with the Obama administration, but attempting to show a sign of respect by bowing to the Japanese Emperor isn't anywhere near making the list.

Is this really a big deal to you, Obyknevn? This whole Russia vs. the US thing? Why do you think that is?

I'll probably wait for Pitch Black Scrabble instead.

Playing ice hockey once a week is the best way to stay in shape.

The interesting thing about sports game design is that they have long term and short term planning all on the same title. So you might have a team working on the next release doing minor tweaks, but you also have people working on a new iteration of a game engine that might take three years to finally implement. But each year you tend to have one big focus point for improvement. It might be a franchise mode, multiplayer, or the core gameplay controls. With such a short development, you can only do so much.