[Graeme Dice]

Vicious Love said:
I dunno. Possibly because each and every preview of the game promised us volumes upon volumes of innovation?

Really? Can you provide a half-dozen or so previews that claim that the game will be innovative?

Or possibly because many of us were fundamentally dissatisfied with many core aspects of Morrowind, and no innovation means no changing these core aspects?

What core asects would you expect to change? It's still an Elder Scrolls game, so it's not like any reasonable person would expect radically different gameplay.

If games like Oblivion don't take the vanguard, what will?

I'd rather have a fun game than an innovative game.

Every worthwhile computer game since Pong begs to differ.

If you only consider innovative games to be worthwhile, then you must not enjoy very many computer games.

Innovation may not be sufficient, but without it you're just regurgitating the same old stuff with better graphics and a steeper price tag.

Well, since there's absolutely nothing wrong with creating games that are similar to old games but that have better graphics, I fail to see your complaint. Your complaint about price is also pure nonsense, since Morrowind and Oblivion both cost exactly the same numerical price: $59.99 CDN. Of course, that $59.99 CDN in 2006 for Oblivion is actually cheaper than the $59.99 CDN in 2002 for Morrowind. Game prices have dropped tremendously over the past 20 years.

Erm... no. It's not really much better than Fable's, either. And it can't begin to compare to Mount & Blade's system.

Mount and Blade has a gimmicky, easily exploited combat system that lets a character right out of the gate fight off a dozen attackers just by backpedaling and letting them form a single file line. Further, your demand that the combat be perfect is quite ridiculous. It doesn't need to be perfect, it merely needs to be good.

This is a cutting-art, state-of-the-edge game that uses a revolutionary third-party tree rendering program and an even more revolutionary "NPCs walk from point A to point B" system, and yet it can't afford to throw in a feature that was available in Daggerfall? I realize it would be a mite trickier to make it work, what with no longer using sprite-based graphics and all, but come on. Speaking of the Point A to Point B engine...

So let me ask you a simple question. What kind of actual gameplay value does combat from horseback add to a game?

'fraid I have. It was decent, but you could still see the strings.

You stated that you weren't going to support Bethesda with your money. That is a clear admission tha you haven't purchased the game. Further, if the game was "decent", by your own admission, then how can you possible have so much vitriol for it?

See above. Honestly, this is just a cheap shot on behalf of BethSoft's marketing department.

No, it's called an observation of the mindset of your typical person who feels that they are entitled to luxury goods at whatever price they want, rather than the price the seller decides to provide it at. Bethesda is perfectly within their rights to sell mods at whatever price they want to, since they have in no way shape, or form cheated you with your purchase. (Well, not your purchase, since you admitted that you won't be paying for the game even though you already played it.)

I'd like to know how you know anything about the AI behaviour of the NPCs when you haven't even purchased the game.

Go ahead, take a guess.

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Okay, you are making observations about the AI behaviour because you pirated the game. It's nice to see that you're now trying to cover up your admission that you either haven't purchased, or haven't played Oblivion. Please don't bother, since I have no real reason to want to deal with liars.