Great IceWind Dale Deals at Amazon

Actually, I saw on one local forums that Atari are prepping up an Ultimate DnD bundle or something and was available for pre-order (of a sort), including NWN with both expansions, both BGs with expansions, both IWDs with the first one's expansion, ToEE, Dragonshard and Demon Stone for about the price of 60 euros. With the obvious exclusion of PS-T in favor of the more recent and mediocre Dragonshard and Demon Stone, the only problem is it has still to see the light of day and there is absolutely no info on it by now since then. Still, it would be fine if this sees this in retail.
 
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(Is Jo-Wood a german company?)

Yes, they are. And rumor says they nearly went bancrupt this year. Thus the rushed game (Gothic 3).
 
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Yes, they are. And rumor says they nearly went bancrupt this year. Thus the rushed game (Gothic 3).
IIRC they've been "nearly bankrupt" for the last several years.

Aspyr appears to have really done a budget release of G3 in the U.S., based upon their selling it at a recommended retail price of $39.99, and some other notes that I've read in various places. Might end up buying an imported U.K. copy if I can find it at a good($20-30) price, after all I picked up NWN2 for $24.99... :D (Kind of weird how MK keeps getting hawked @ $49.99, and if any recent game was a $20 budget release...)

IWD: IIRC the series was designed to be combat driven to begin with, as they meant to offset the, arguably, more story driven Baldur's Gate series.

That said, I HATED the Infinity engine(and based) games. It always felt more like work than fun playing those particular games, although, strangely I have managed to work around/with NWN1 and NWN2(Aurora engine, and even though they gave it a new name, HEAVILY Aurora engine based engine(NWN2)). Also, Obsidian re-used a TON of old Bioware content that I've noticed in NWN2 so far. Everything from sound, voice acting, background placeables, spell effects, misc. graphics, etc. Kind of sad.
 
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Yes, but this year it was seriously closer to bancrupcy than ever before, I heard.
 
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Yes, but this year it was seriously closer to bancrupcy than ever before, I heard.

Not good. I look to the European developers for the future of PC, especially RPG titles.
I think the U.S. is way too geared up about consoles for all the wrong reasons, and also that the big dogs,as we say, have taken over the majority of companies--not to produce computer games, but to produce the most marketable, profitable entertainment experience--whatever that is.

I have nothing against the console gaming experience--or gamers who get off on consoles. It's the marketers that think it's the be-all and end-all of gaming and are only in it for the $$$ that make me tired. Of course there are plenty of those in the pc gaming world, too.

I regret to hear that Jo-Wood is in financial straits. They have produced some great games--I liked Europa 1400:The Guild, as well as the Gothis titles.
 
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Actually, I saw on one local forums that Atari are prepping up an Ultimate DnD bundle or something and was available for pre-order (of a sort), including NWN with both expansions, both BGs with expansions, both IWDs with the first one's expansion, ToEE, Dragonshard and Demon Stone for about the price of 60 euros. With the obvious exclusion of PS-T in favor of the more recent and mediocre Dragonshard and Demon Stone, the only problem is it has still to see the light of day and there is absolutely no info on it by now since then. Still, it would be fine if this sees this in retail.


That would be a mind-boggling collection--and a great way to recruit new players for the old classics. And you don't have to install the new junk.
Atari is probable needing the $$$, too. They have had some dismal profits the last few years.
 
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I think the U.S. is way too geared up about consoles for all the wrong reasons, and also that the big dogs,as we say, have taken over the majority of companies--not to produce computer games, but to produce the most marketable, profitable entertainment experience--whatever that is.

Everyone pins it on the US - but Ubi is French, and there are plenty of shallow me-too console games coming from Japan as well ...

The bottom line is what you say - profitable entertainment, whatever that means. In that regard it is little different than movies and music. And in those industries, just because the overwhelming majority of sales go to shallow crap, that doesn't preclude the production of quality and deep material. Just makes it harder to get it 'out there'.
 
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Everyone pins it on the US - but Ubi is French, and there are plenty of shallow me-too console games coming from Japan as well ....

Thanks txa1265--I feel much better now I realize the whole world sucks.:)
 
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