Hurlshort

Bioware would have to buy out their contract most likely if it wanted to break off with EA. A lot of companies have done that in the past, Turbine managed to convince Microsoft to sell off all the properties it had created, and they've managed to be very successful on their own. But as long as Bioware and EA are moving towards the same goals, I don't see that happening any time soon. Morgoth has a very valid point about independent studios. Nothing has changed at Bioware because of the EA deal. Every developer has to work with the publisher and is expected to meet goals, the difference is Bioware used to work on a game by game basis with a publisher. EA now has an interest in every property they are working on. This is great because it probably helps with funding during early stages, but it can be constrictive because Bioware has to run their projects by EA. People get worried because if a project becomes a problem (say the KotOR MMO faces major delays), EA can step in and demand cuts to get the product out. But honestly that is a fear with and developer/publisher relationship, short or long term. The more money invested, the more control they can yield. Also, I know the team that creates the NHL hockey series is an independent team. As long as they get their product out the door in time and stable, everything is roses with EA. I believe Tiburon is the same way with Madden. EA handles advertising and distribution, like every other publisher out there. But I'm sure volologic will intercede here and despite the fact both Morgoth and volourn are correct, Volo will tell us we are all wrong and the world is black and white. There is no middle ground! Business relationships are cut and dry, not complicated whatsoever.

The battles in Total War are just a small part of the whole picture, it's hard to get much from a demo that only showcases that part of the game. All the Total War talk made me want to re-install Rome: TW. That made me want to buy Medieval 2: TW off Steam for $20. I'm downloading it now.

I played through DX and only killed a couple people in the entire game. I thought the sneaking was pretty awesome.

Seconded! The 80's had the best action-comedies, by far.

I'm having a lot of issues with crashes in my be a pro mode. The game just freezes up.

Is there really going to be one? Or are you just hoping? There HAS to be. Never give up hope! I'm just assuming. It sounds like the game is fairly mod friendly, and a lot of people are complaining about the spawns, so I'd be shocked if someone didn't eventually try and fix it.

I've found everything Jason Statham has done to be very watchable, and actually really enjoyed his lead roles in The Transporter and crank. I haven't tried watching the Dungeon Siege film though. I'm not sure how The Expendables will turn out though. Dolph Lundgren and Mickey Rourke? Those guys can completely ruin a movie. I know Rourke pulled off a huge role in the Wrestler, but I'm not sold on him suddenly becoming a great actor. Stallone has done better directing with the most recent iterations of Rambo and Rockey, but he's capable of releasing some serious bombs. Ben Kingsley has absolutely been trash for the last few years as well, Ghandi has fallen far. I'm actually hoping Statham is the lead. If Whitaker is the villain, it might turn out alright.

I'm waiting on a mod to fix the spawn rates. I absolutely love the game, but I can't enjoy it with the entire country trying to kill me all the time. I hope one comes soon.

I guess the list is ok for a current writer list. An All-time would be a joke without all the zany Sierra adventure writers, Al Lowe, Jane Jensen, Roberta Williams, Scott Murphy, and most of all Lori Cole.

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I don't mess with plumbing or electrical stuff. Actually I've replaced a few outlets and light fixtures, but I electrocuted myself a good deal in the process.

The kind of people who really spend time posting user reviews on metacritic and other sites aren't really all that positive to begin with. You will get quite a few spewing hate simply because something is popular.

My wife has had a few 8th graders get pregnant over the years. It's sadly not uncommon. In our area, they are typically Catholic latinas with young mothers of their own. They don't get education about birth control at the home because they aren't supposed to have sex, and then they definitely don't get an abortion because that is a sin. So they drop out of school, live with their parent (not usually plural), and scrape by on welfare.

I thought I remembered Botticelli doing illustrations! I think I have them in my classroom somewhere, I'll have to rummage around for them.

It's amazing what he can do while laying on the ice.

The Divine comedy has been illustrated by Gustave Dore.

In the US, at least, due to the overwhelming brilliance of our educational system (sarcasm), the brand recogniton of Dante, The Inferno, or any book that isn't about either a) celebrities or b) making huge amounts of money with no work, is exactly 0. What, are you the magical exception to this rule? ...Or were you educated abroad and so have broken away from the trend? I don't know about others, but I was first introduced to the work in high school and then read it extensively at university. Dante's Divine Comedy is freshman level reading at virtually any university that springs to mind, unless of course the university in question only admits first year applicants who attended a high school where it was required reading. Maybe you just haven't attended university yet. As far as the game goes, it sounds uninspired right now, the fact that it's inspired by the literary work notwithstanding. I don't mind folks getting some sort of exposure to classical works through computer games, although sometimes the games themselves make me cringe. EDIT: And I would love to see a good game based on Paradise Lost. The problem is making the game good. Actually, I teach the Divine Comedy in 7th grade to my students during our Renaissance unit. It is part of the state standards, so anyone in California going through 7th grade in the last 8 years has earned about Dante in some form or another. Is it the brilliant education system at fault, or the students who don't pay any attention to what they are learning?

There is a GIGANTIC difference between taping a show, or even giving a video game to a friend, and posting the show or game to a bittorrent site for thousands of people to access. I guess you could compare it to having a marijuana joint and having a big bag. Both are illegal, but one will get you a slap on the wrist and one will be considered intent to sell and get you considerably more legal problems. In fact, the laws to need to be rewritten to really distinguish between the two, and I think you will see that happening down the line, possibly in response to this PirateBay legal action. International accountability needs to be taken into account as well.

Whatever big baby. You catch a little flak from a shotgun shell and you run crying home to Nick.

I'm guessing the developers read the cliff notes on Dante's journey.

I believe you get more XP at the higher difficulty levels, and that resulted in quite a few people complaining that the game was too easy. I played on normal and thought it was fair.

I've known people who only pirated a game due to its DRM, although I think that should ahve just bought a copy and then used a crack (that's what I did with my boxed copy of Mass Effect). Those people are lying to themselves to feel better about pirating. They would find another excuse if DRM didn't exist. You don't NEED to play any game, it isn't oxygen.

Have you played Saint's Row 2 yet? Seconded. It's like they took all the cut content from GTA4 that was in previous iterations and super-sized it. I customized the color of my windshield beeotch.

It's not easy to find a good sports team that balances the fun and the competitiveness. To be honest, I'd recommend talking to your good friend and joining another team together, because that personal friendship is way more important than any sports team. Teams fold after awhile, friendships hopefully don't. I've had a lot of experience on both sides of this issue. I play Ice Hockey, and I've had a few issues with teams I've been on. My previous team ended oddly. I liked the majority of the guys on the team, but the two guys who ran it were just ultra negative. But I was playing with a good friend and so we kept on playing. Eventually when the season ended, about half of the team was not asked back to play. It was odd, because there was a fair amount of talent in the group that was not asked back, in fact I led the league in points that season. But I don't think our personalities mixed, and they made it easy on us. Still, I've yelled at a few people in my time. I had one guy on our team a few seasons ago that was pretty slow. We were in the last minute of the game, and we were down by a goal. He was trying to get out on the ice, and I told him to sit. He said "I pay the same amount as everyone else" and I said "You don't show up to half the effin' games, don't expect to play in the last minute." He didn't come back the next season. I felt bad, but everyone on the team backed me up. Anyways, I think you need to just look for a new team that doesn't give you anxiety like this. It's supposed to be fun, and people have different ideas about what fun is.

And then you have to go big or go home.