Topic: Fallout: New Vegas - Update: FO: New California Mod Released (Reply 155)

[MysterD]

NEWEST --> 2-16-2013:
RockPaperShotgun -> Obsidian's thinking of ideas for FO: New Vegas sequel.

NEWER --> 12-6-2012:
YouTube -> 17 min vid - Josh E. Sawyer discusses the Process for Developing Locations and Characters in Fallout: New Vegas.
Youtube -> Matt Chat - Josh E. Sawyer Inteviews -- Interview on FO3, FO:NV, Alpha Protocol, & Dungeon Siege III; Interview on Icewind Dale; Neverwinter Nights; and cancelled Project Jefferson (BG3) & Aliens RPG.
Kotaku -> Their FO: New Vegas Mod Guide.
PCGamer -> Modders restore some FO:NV content - includes companions, areas, Freeside as one entire map, quests, etc.

NEWER
G4TV -> Article on Chris Avellone at PAX 2012 w/ a look-back at Fallout: New Vegas DLC.
Josh Sawyer's Blog -> Josh's opinion on the Fallout weapon skills set-up, which he never was fond us.
GameInformer -> Feargus Urquhart of Obsidian on some of the differences BethSoft and Obsidian saw on the FO license.
J.E. Sawyer [lead director on FO:NV for Obsidian] releases his own Mod for the game...which is meant to make the game A LOT harder.

Fallout: New Vegas - Old World Blues DLC -- REVIEWS
TheControllerOnline - 8.0.
Eurogamer -> 9.
GamingIrresponsibly - 5 stars.
Examiner -> A- grade.
RockPaperShotgun -> "Wot I Think" Article.
Fallout: New Vegas - Old World Blues [DLC #3] -> Trailer.
Honest Hearts DLC - Trailer.
THREE New DLC's announced for New Vegas -> Honest Hearts, Old World Blues, and Lonesome Road.
New Balances planned for next patch for FO:NV coming next Monday on PC; console version patch coming eventually.
BethBlog -> FO:NV - Dead Money (DLC #1) - Trailer.
Shacknews -> Dead Money DLC - Tidbits of Info.
Shacknews -> Dead Money DLC announced for only X360 currently.

Mods / Mods Lists for Fallout: New Vegas - PC Version
J.E. Sawyer [lead director on FO:NV for Obsidian] releases his own Mod for the game.
PC Gamer -> Their Top 25 Fallout: New Vegas mods.
Overclock.net -> Their list of Essential FO:NV Mods.
Ripten.com -> Their Top 5 FO:NV Mods.
Neoseeker -> Their list of notable FO:NV Mods.
NewVegasNexus -> Compilation Mod - combines a bunch of FO:NV Mods into one ESP file.

Fallout: New Vegas [base game] - Reviews
IGN Review - 9.0 for PC; 8.5 for PS3 and X360 [out of 10]
Video Review.
Written Review.
GameSpot Review - 8.5 for PC version; 7.5 for X360 and PS3 - Reviewed by Kevin Van Ord.
PC -> Written review.
Consoles -> Written Review.
Consoles -> HD Video Review.
Other Reviews
TenTonHammer -> PC Version - "A" grade.
GamingHeaven -> PC Version - 93 (out of 100).
ComputerGames.Ro -> PC Version - 93 (out of 100).
Nowgamer -> X360 Review - 9.3 (out of 100).
Incgamers.com - All platforms -> 9.1 (out of 10).
AtomicGamer - All platforms -> 9 (out of 10).
Eurogamer -> All platforms - 9 (out of 10).
GamesTM.co.uk -> 9 (out of 10).
Destructoid -> 9.0 (out of 10).
Gamepro.com -> 4 1/2 stars (out of 5).
GameSpy -> X360 Review - 4 1/2 stars (out of 5).
Hookedgamers.com -> PC Review - 9.0 (out of 10).
StrategyInformer - 8.8 for PC version; 8.5 for X360  (out of 10).
Gametrailers.com -> All versions - 8.6 (out of 10).
GiantBomb -> X360 Review - 4 stars (out of 5).
G4TV -> PS3 and X360 - 4 stars (out of 5)
Game-over.com -> PC Review - 85% (out of 100).
CPUGamer.com -> PC Version - 8.5.
PC Gamer -> PC Review - 84 (out of 100)
CVG -> PC Review - 8.1 [out of 10]
Gamers-Underground.com -> 81 (out of 100).
Bit-Tech.net -> All platforms - 8 (out of 10).
GamingNexus -> B grade.
Worthplaying - All versions - 8.0 (out of 10).
Primaryignition.com - All platforms -> 8 (out of 10).
Joystiq -> 3 1/2 stars (out of 5)
Gamezone -> All platforms - 6.5 (out of 10).
Arstechnica - Review.
BigDownload.com -> Review.
Zero Punctuation -> Review on FO:NV and its Hardcore Mode.


OLDER Stuff:
News/Info/Links/Etc
FO:NV - Ultimate Edition announced for Feb. 2012 for PC, X360, and PS3.
Interview w/ Chris Avellone on the Fallout series.
FO:NV - Lonesome Road DLC -> Trailer.
Lonesome Road DLC delayed...until it's done.
CVG -> SPOILER alert - 10 Things You Must Try In Fallout: New Vegas.
PC Gamer -> FO: New Vegas PC patched.
Bethblog -> What to expect for next FO: New Vegas patches on all platforms.
Kotaku -> Looks like someone finished FO:NV w/out any kills.
LightSpeedMagazine.com -> Interview w/ Chris Avellone.
BethBlog -> Fallout: New Vegas - Bulletin on Tips, Mods, and More.
Eurogamer -> Comparisons of PC vs. X360 vs. PS3 versions of FO:NV.
RPGWatch.com -> 1.4 million sold for FO:NV across all 3 platforms during Week #1 - digital sales are NOT included.
BethBlog -> Interview w/ Obsidian's very own Jorge Salgado.
PCGamesHardware.com -> Looks at Fallout: New Vegas' graphics "quality."
CVG -> Obsidian's moving onto their next project - whatever that may be...
Destructoid -> Fallout: New Vegas' debut sales is outselling FO3's debut sales in the UK.
HookedGamers -> Chris Priestman playing FO:NV for 14 mins and 28 secs.
BethBlog -> X360 version patched; PS3 patch coming; PC has two patches out so far.
G4TV -> Fallout: New Vegas - Video and Discussion on the game.
BethSoft Forums -> Jason Bergman of Obsidian's Open Letter on FO: New Vegas.
NMA -> Josh E. Sawyer on some of FO:NV's bugs and issues.
Destructoid -> Avellone blames New Vegas's size for the reason there's so many bugs and issues.
Destructoid -> Avellone defends Obsidian using BethSoft's Tech for FO:NV.
1Up.com -> FO: New Vegas - Intro Bug.
Shacknews -> Patch is already being worked on.
BethSoft.com -> Fallout: New Vegas - PC Version -> G.E.C.K. Toolkit (SDK) Released.
1Up -> FO: New Vegas will have "Exclusive DLC" for X360.
BethBlog -> Dev Diary #6 - The Characters / Voice Actors in FO: New Vegas.
G4TV -> A whole bunch of vids on FO:NV Stuff - new content; Sin City; art; story; characters; guns; etc.
Fallout Wikia -> Entire cast of FO: New Vegas revealed.
Gamasutra -> Obsidian says expect to see homage paid to especially FO1 and 2 and also FO3 in FO:NV.
BethBlog -> Dev Diary 4 -> Factions in FO: New Vegas.
PC Gamer -> Preview and impressions on Fallout: New Vegas.
Fallout Website -> Chris Avellone's Developer's Diary for Oct. 6, 2010.
GameSpot -> Obsidian writers on Fallout: New Vegas.
BethBlog -> David Hodgens (author of FO:NV Strategy Guide) talks about the game-world of FO:NV.
Shacknews -> D2D gets exclusive FO:NV CE w/ a 48-page digital FO:NV comic "All Roads".
BethBlog -> FO:NV - PC Version System Requirements.
BethBlog -> Bethesda Podcast #3 - All on FO:NV.
GTTV -> Art Direction of FO:NV - HD Video.
Dualshockers.com -> Interview w/ Chris Avellone on FO:NV.
BethBlog -> FO: New Vegas - "TV Spot" Trailer.
Destructoid -> Fallout: New Vegas will have DLC.
BethSoft announces Obsidian is working Fallout: New Vegas for PC and consoles.
Pete Hines discusses how BethSoft and Obsidian made this deal.
JE Sawyer is FO:NV's Project Director and Lead Designer.
NMA - Some info on the game.
PCG - Some info on the game.
GamesRadar - Preview.
Bluesnews w/ 17 links worth of previews.
GameSpot preview w/ info on Hardcore Mode.
Giant Bomb - Preview with info on its Reputation System.
GameInformer - with info on New Perk: Terrorizing Presence.
VideoGamer - with info on Controlling Companions.
FO: New Vegas - Collector's Ed revealed.
JE Sawyer on Merging Big Guns and Small Guns into Guns skills & Gender.
IGN - Video Preview.
Fallout: New Vegas PC requires Steam and Steamworks DRM.
G4TV - Some of the voice-actors lined-up to do FO: New Vegas.
GTTV - Video Preview on Fallout: New Vegas w/ Josh Sawyer.

Fan Interview/Questions w/ Josh Sawyer
Part 1.
Part 2.

FO: New Vegas PC requires Steam
Fallout: New Vegas PC requires Steam and Steamworks DRM.

Trailers
BethBlog -> FO: New Vegas - "TV Spot" Trailer.
Teaser Trailer.
E3 2010 Trailer.

[idolminds]

Interesting. Walking around the wasteland of Vega sounds kinda fun.

[beo]

jizzed in my pants.

[MysterD]

To see Obsidian -- which has some Ex-BIS game developers that worked on FO1, FO2, and (the canceled) Van Buren -- make a brand-new Fallout game based out in the West Coast is just music to my ears.

Rejoice now!

[Xessive]

Pretty sweet!

[MysterD]

Pete Hines of BethSoft has an interview w/ ShackNews.
They talk about how this all came about w/ Obsidian doing another FO game.

[Quemaqua]

I really have no interest in anything Obsidian has ever done, so... eh.  But it sounds like they're qualified for the job and would do it a good service, and it'll be interesting to see how buggy a game will turn out done on Bethesda's own engine but being developed by someone else.  I'm certainly interested, and more Fallout can never be a bad thing.  Well, unless it's Brotherhood of Steel.

[MysterD]

NWN2: Mask of the Betrayer is the best thing to come out of the Obsidian camp, so far...

[Xessive]

NWN2: Mask of the Betrayer is the best thing to come out of the Obsidian camp, so far...

Yep, they certainly did a great job with it.

Obsidian is one of those companies that disheartens me on a technical level but wins me over with content and story. I just don't understand why they do such an unimpressive job when it comes to graphics and performance! I'd understand it if they wanted to play it safe and not push the graphics boundaries but that should at least mean having a stable end result. It took them a while to fix NWN2, and even then it wasn't until MotB that it the engine was improved slightly. Even now, the game still suffers some serious performance issues in certain circumstances.

[MysterD]

Yep, they certainly did a great job with it.

Obsidian is one of those companies that disheartens me on a technical level but wins me over with content and story. I just don't understand why they do such an unimpressive job when it comes to graphics and performance!

I don't think it's their thing. Never was -- just like Troika and Black Isle; which many of these Obsidian guys have worked for.

I think that is why their content itself comes out so good -- b/c they are one of the very best at generating content.

I'd understand it if they wanted to play it safe and not push the graphics boundaries but that should at least mean having a stable end result. It took them a while to fix NWN2, and even then it wasn't until MotB that it the engine was improved slightly. Even now, the game still suffers some serious performance issues in certain circumstances.

Really though, Obsidian needs to hire some technical geniuses and optimizing experts -- b/c it never shows in their work on a brand new game release! And if it does show that the game runs well, that means the game's an expansion; and/or the game's been out for a while so numerous technical issues and bug issues have been stomped already!

Yes, MOTB was excellent. I did like SOZ with its new content and features -- but that game really needed more so than anything the NPC's that can be found within the game some character depth and personality. Also, the background traits for any NPC's you create could've sparked some generic dialogue would've been nice, too -- so that the party has more life to it.

[MysterD]

JE Sawyer of Obsidian has stated on RPGCodex's boards that he is indeed the Project Director AND Lead Designer on FO: New Vegas.

Worth noting: JE Sawyer was working on BIS's Van Buren, at one time...

[MysterD]

Fallout: New Vegas - Teaser Trailer.
Planned for Fall 2010.

[Cobra951]

Though that trailer is hardly worth the effort, it can be downloaded from the official site.  480P and HD versions.

I want.

[MysterD]

From NMA
Some info on Fallout: New Vegas.

An interview with J. E. Sawyer, the lead designer of Fallout: New Vegas, has been made available on Xbox Live. However, us untermenschen without a subscription have to settle for an overview:

    1. New areas will open up for the player depending on your reputation
    2. Not all weapons have mods
    3. "You only buy mods from stores" - once bought you highlight the weapon you want to add it to in your inventory and apply it
    4. They will cost you a lot of money
    5. Hardcore is seperate to difficulty
    6. Hardcore is more of a mechanical shift as opposed to just bumping up hp - he compares it to Ninja Gaiden
    7. There is a dehydration meter
    8. Dehydration meter will have impact o the player (most likely drop in stats)
    9. Being out in the desert in the day, as opposed to night, will have a greater effect on your need for food and water

Link: Interview with JES, rundown.

Thanks, CoolManDan, you're cool.

[MysterD]

PCG
Some bullet-points from rhe new issue of PCG on Fallout: New Vegas.

The new issue of PC Gamer US, with what they call "world exclusive" preview of Fallout: New Vegas, despite all the other ones we've already seen, has already reached the subscribers. Here's a summary of some interesting info (most of the article repeats what we already know from the British and German magazines):

    * The box on the first page of the preview names Bethesda as both the publisher and the developer, while the article text itself gives due credit to Obsidian and discusses the devs' work on Fallout, Fallout 2 and Van Buren.
    * New California Rangers wear modified LAPD riot armor. The trenchcoat guy from the teaser is identified as one in the article.
    * Gun modifications will increase damage, ammo capacity, accuracy, rate of fire and more
    * The player will be able to have two or three companions in their party
    * With Raul the ghoul in your party, you'll start to pick up clues that he's more than just a simple mechanic
    * Unsurprisingly, deathclaws and radscorpions are mentioned
    * From the screenshot, Fore! indeed looks like an attack on the head, not groin, as mentioned in an earlier preview
    * The dinosaur casino is identified as Dinky the Dinosaur
    * NCR is described as large and powerful but bureaucratic.
    * Chris Avellone: "It's a very amusing location design-wise. Vegas is like a whole city-wide amusement park. We can play on different themes, different styles. It's fun for the artists, it's fun for the designers... I don't know how much fun it's going to be for the programmers"
    * J.E. Sawyer: "The Karma system is mostly the same as in Fallout 3, but checked less often. Mostly we rely on reputation, because that's what people know. Karma is just a general indicator of how much of a sonofabitch you are. If you murder people in secret, your reputation doesn't go down because no on knows you did anything, so you can maintain a good reputation but your karma has tanked really heavily. Karma does influence some things, but reputation is usually what most people in the world base their opinions of you on."
    * Avellone: "We recognized that one of the strengths of Fallout 3 was that so much of the game revolved everything around Washington, D.C. That's your signature city. And to be honest, adventuring in post-apocalyptic D.C. is interesting. You're like, OK, I get it. I know what D.C. is like in the real world, I'd like to see what it's like in the real world when mutants are running around in the streets.
      So, if we have a western version of Fallout 3, what's a key signature city that people will immediately gt when they hear the title. And also, what's interesting to us? So individually, Vegas came up for a number of people without a community discussion about it. That kept coming up. So we said, OK, if within this small sample group that city keeps coming up, and we understand why, that's the city to use."

[MysterD]

GamesRadar.com has a preview on FO: New Vegas.

Story

Set three years after the events of Fallout 3, New Vegas puts you in the shoes of an unnamed courier making a delivery to someone in the Mojave Wasteland. Along the way, you’re intercepted by persons unknown, shot in the head, and left to die in a ditch. You’re found by Victor, a kindly robot with a cowboy-monitor-head, and rushed to the surgery at nearby town, Goodsprings, where the local doctor patches you up.

Multiple Endings

This smarter, more natural way of dealing with the world is one of the small but significant changes Obsidian is bringing to the table. It also means that the game will have several different endings too, instead of the single, potentially anachronistic, ‘man/woman saves the Wasteland’ finale. The overall aim of the game is for you to find out who tried to kill you, and why, so it’s safe to expect plenty of plot twists and ‘big revelations’ along the way. After all, this is the same developer who created the mighty, labyrinthine Knights of the Old Republic 2.

Modifying Weapons

There are other tweaks too, which make this new Fallout more of a refined, deeper experience, like the ability to modify weapons with custom parts, or use all your core skills to influence conversations.

...

The weapon mods make for a slightly deeper experience too, and they add an extra element of strategy to the VATS combat. Some of the examples we saw were obvious things like ammo and shot-power boosts on pistols, mixed with more unusual, but very thoughtful, upgrades like reduced spooling time on the Mini-Gun weapon. Mods will also increase the value of your weapons too – handy when you’re flogging all your 9mms in the second half of the game to make way for more powerful fare.

Special Attacks in VATS For Certain Weapons

Inside VATS, there’s also a special attack for each weapon you use. During the very first mission, we were shown how this works with the Nine Iron – in this case, it’s a vicious swing straight at the target’s nuts. We’re not sure how this particular strike works on non-human enemies with questionable genitals, such as Radscorpions (yes, they’re back along with a few new creatures like giant Geckos), and we’re also left wondering what the Fat Man’s special strike is… Still, it’s nice to have the (pretty painful) option, anyway.

[Pugnate]

I couldn't get into FO3 at all. I'll probably will give it another go at some point.

[MysterD]

I couldn't get into FO3 at all. I'll probably will give it another go at some point.

Do you have Reg. Edition? Or GOTY?

[Pugnate]

GOTY.

I did the vault and then explored for 30 minutes and that's about it.

[MysterD]

GOTY.

I did the vault and then explored for 30 minutes and that's about it.

Dammit, Pug - get exploring. That's some of the fun of a BethSoft game.

[Cobra951]

It's also an enormous time sink, and he probably doesn't have that kind of time to burn.

[MysterD]

It's also an enormous time sink, and he probably doesn't have that kind of time to burn.

Very true @ it being a time-sink.
Around 40 hours for each play-through, for me - and that's doing a fair number of main and side quests.
Not including any DLC content - since I don't own any.

[Quemaqua]

Hahaha... 40 hours?  Are you kidding me?  I didn't even finish the game and my first play is still at I think 92 hours.

[MysterD]

Hahaha... 40 hours?  Are you kidding me?  I didn't even finish the game and my first play is still at I think 92 hours.

Not kidding at all, Que.

[wizall]

I think I was at about 110 hours or so in my one game. I think I did a lot of things, but I'm sure I didn't do it all. And, Pug, I hear ya about getting going in that game. I had four or five false starts before I got after it. Not sure what clicked, but I'm glad I stuck with it.

[Pugnate]

Yea it isn't an issue of time as much as it hasn't clicked yet.

[Cobra951]

And the reason it hasn't clicked is that you need to spend more time than most games take to complete just getting your bearings and seeing the big picture.

[MysterD]

Holy crap.
Bluenews has 17 different links for new previews for FO: New Vegas.

Yeah, when I get some time, I'll look through some of them and pick and choose some interesting stuff to quote and comment on and whatnot...
You're welcome to do, as well...

[MysterD]

From GameSpot...
Details on Hardcore Mode.

Hardcore Mode

At any point in the game, you can switch to Hardcore mode, which was added for those who want more of a challenge.

In Fallout 3, you would heal instantly by using stimpaks, but with Hardcore mode in New Vegas, healing happens over time, so even if you use a stimpak, you'll have to seek out cover and wait a few seconds to recover. Similar to the radiation meter in the previous game, this time, you have a dehydration meter where you'll need to drink and hydrate, as well as eat certain types of food to offset negative status effects, which can eventually lead to death. Ammo will have weight, so you'll need to manage that accordingly. Project director Josh Sawyer mentioned that this is meant to provide more of a challenge, as well as immerse you into the world of Fallout.

[K-man]

Yeah F3 took a few hours to grab me, but once it did...man.

[K-man]

Well crap.  So much for carrying around 2500 darts.

[MysterD]

Well crap.  So much for carrying around 2500 darts.

Well, for Hardcore mode, that's the details...ammo has weight.
I'm guessing for Regular Mode, this might not ring true?

EDIT:
From Giant Bomb...
Reputation System

There's also the reputation system, which tracks your standing with specific groups like the residents of Goodsprings and the New California Republic. This is separate from your good/bad karma and will determine how those groups react to you (hostilely or as friends) and even what kind of missions will be available to you. Obsidian gave an ironic example where the townspeople might fear you so much they'd actually tithe you with money and gifts when you passed through town, just to avoid your wrath.

EDIT 2:
From GameInformer...
Terrorizing Presence - NEW PERK

OK, this one shouldn’t be that surprising. Fallout: New Vegas adds some new perks to the character mix. Want to know more? Here’s a little teaser.

“We’ve introduced a new dialog perk called terrifying presence,” says Sawyer. “It allows you to, when someone basically confronts you, instead of talking your way out of a fight you terrorize the person who’s threatening you to the point where they all run. It initiates combat, but they all run for the hills.

Some guy comes up to you and says, ‘Man, you just screwed with the wrong guy,’ and you’re like, ‘I’m going to f---ing cut your head off and wear it as a hat,’ and they’re like, ‘Holy s---!’ and he freaks out and as soon as it ends he and all of his crew just run. It gives you about five seconds where they’re just running in terror from you so you can just go off on them. But it’s just one of those things where every once in a while it just comes up in conversation and you can just lay it down.”

EDIT 3:
From VideoGamer.com....
Having Control Over Your Companions

Oh, Fallout 3's companions. They were annoying, weren't they, often getting lost and stuck in endless pathfinding conundrums? Hopefully, that'll be a thing of the past, because in New Vegas you can control your buddies with a companion wheel interface. It provides all of the options that were present for managing your companions in Fallout 3 without having to go into dialogue. You can have them take stimpacks, change their status from passive to aggressive and switch their loadouts all with only a couple of button presses.

[MysterD]

Here's the revealing of Fallout: New Vegas - Collector's Edition.

Fallout: New Vegas headed to PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 this fall. GameStop's listings  indicate that the Collector's Edition will cost $70 on PC and $80 on consoles.

Our Chris was recently treated to a look at Fallout: New Vegas and the sweet words of Obsidian's CEO and project director fell upon his ears like gentle kisses.

The full list of Collector's Edition goodies follows below for your reading pleasure.

        * "Lucky 7" poker chips. Each of the seven poker chips was designed to represent chips from the major casinos found on the New Vegas strip and throughout the Mojave Wasteland.
        * A fully customized Fallout: New Vegas deck of cards. Each card in the pack has been uniquely illustrated to depict characters and factions found within the game. Use the cards to play poker, blackjack or Caravan, an original card game that was created by Obsidian especially for New Vegas!
        * A recreation of the game's highly coveted "Lucky 38" platinum chip.
        * A hardcover graphic novel "All Roads", that tells the story of some of the characters and events that lead up to Fallout: New Vegas. "All Roads" was written by Chris Avellone, the game's creative director, and created in conjunction with Dark Horse Comics.
        * 'The Making of Fallout: New Vegas' DVD. This documentary DVD will contain exclusive video content, including interviews with the developers in which they take you from concept to creation and discuss topics such as story, setting, legacy of the Fallout franchise and more.

[K-man]

If the graphic novel is of any substance, the 20 dollar premium is worth it for that alone.

[idolminds]

I want the deck of cards. And I'm really interested in finding out what that "Caravan" game is like.

[Xessive]

Here are some shots of the interface in NV:




The new companion UI looks like it'll make traveling/fighting with companions a lot smoother.

[MysterD]

NMA points out about JE Sawyer talking about merging Small Guns and Big Guns into one Guns skill; Tabitha character; and Flamer is considered an Energy weapon.

EDIT - June 4th, 2010:
Fallout: New Vegas - VIDEO Preview from IGN.

[MysterD]

Well, this news won't make Idol and some others very happy...

Fallout: New Vegas PC REQUIRES Steam.
It uses Steamworks for its DRM.

[Xessive]

Aww, that sucks considering Fallout 3 had no DRM

[MysterD]

Aww, that sucks considering Fallout 3 had no DRM

Yeah, all you had to do was RUN the right EXE and make that a shortcut - bang, DRM bypassed! That was SWEEEEEEEEET,

In a sense, I'm glad they ditched G4WL, though - since it ain't a great of a system in the first place, given its known issues (especially on the saved game profiles crap) that really never really got fixed or anything. It can be a royal pain-in-the-ass, at times.

On the Steam front - well, I like that I got some of the benefits of Steam here - such as the updating features, easy to back-up entire game on DVD w/ its Steam back-up utility, optional Cloud support, Friends List on Steam, etc. Though, bleh @ the quirks of Steam - installing game to STEAM folder; have to activate game upon installation process; have to run Steam program to boot the game up; etc etc.