I have a subscription to O’Reilly’s Safari online book service, and I can’t recall outages anywhere near as frequent and or as long lasting as what I am seeing with Prima.

While not obligated to do so, Steam has previously offered to downgrade my copy of Skyrim; but that would require me to redownload the game. Given the inconvenience, I’m not sure I’m willing to do that just to get a few bucks back; but I do wish that Steam will just sever all ties to Prima in the future. I think a guide that one can download (and hence actually own) makes for a more reliable user experience. That . . . or maybe Prima needs to invest in a better content delivery system.

To this point, Prima’s online book service = FAIL.

12/27/2011 – - Wow! The guide is still broken! Guess Prima’s staff is taking the week off?

12/28/2011 – - Still broken . . .

12/29/2011 – - Yep. Still broken.

1/4/2012 – - And we are back. Prima . . . ebooks that just might work for you! Feeling lucky? Buy Prima electronic . . .

• Parent Directory

That is what greeted my eyes when I launched Prima’s otherwise great game guide for Skyrim tonight.  It is a shame that Prima (or Steam) screwed up access to the online game guide.  My guess is that the problem is with Prima as Steam’s service is more reliable than any of major mail services that I use (Microsoft, Yahoo and Google).  I remain a huge fan of Steam. The author(s) of the Skyrim game guide did a very good job; this guide is way above the usual Prima mediocrity. Other than pirated versions of the guide, the usual sources of free game guides are not even close to the quality of the Prima guide. And that is remarkable! Too bad the author’s efforts are undermined by poor hosting. As to Skyrim itself . . .

Unless something really disappointing happens in the latter part of the game’s main storyline, Skyrim is destined to be one of my all time favorite CRPGs. It is up there with the Baldur’s Gate series, Planescape, the Ultima series, Return to Krondor, KoTR, Dragon Age and Mass Effect. Skyrim looks to be the first Elder Scrolls game that I am going to enjoy finishing, and this is so even though it is a flawed game! The good just out weighs the annoyances.

The good:

• Travel feels right . . . if you aren’t foolish enough to buy a horse!  Horses are expensive, die too easily, and are never there when you need them.
• Skyrim is an open game world that is fun and rewarding to explore. I’ve spent hours just hunting, mining and herb gathering . . . perhaps this is just a WoW habit that is hard to kick.
• The stories are mostly worth following, and I’ve enjoyed the quests – both the main storyline as well as many of the side quests.
• The game world is very pretty. Even with the occasional graphic glitch, the graphics are far better than either Dragon Age or Mass Effect.
• Bethesda outdid Blizzard with a nordic-themed CRPG. Skyrim is just plain better than WoW’s Wrath of the Lich King expansion from a solo gaming perspective. The quests are better, and there is no comparison between the two when it comes to graphics. WoW is really looking like a decade old game when compared to Skyrim. That said, I haven’t experienced a moment in Skyrim that equals the awesome of the Wrathgate in-game cinematic from WotLK.

The bad:

• Dialog that is inappropriately unaware of quest progress. For example, there is mage that keeps urging me to join a College of magi . . . even though I am now the Arch Mage of that college!
• Dialog that is poorly voice acted. While most of the dialog is competently acted (and some is even good), there are still too many parts that are laughably bad or just plain weirdly acted.
• Some game mechanics are still unnecessary. For example, there is no reason that advancing a craft skill should advance my level. I love leveling craft skills, but that shouldn’t have anything to do with my level.
• Alchemy. Not sure I see the point. Maybe it will come into its own with a higher difficulty level.
• It is too easy to accidentally harm some NPCs. There is a guard that I appear to have killed by running into him accidentally or by kicking something into him . . . again . . . accidentally. And I have no idea when this happened!

More than a few reviews of this game have harped on the bugs, but there are bound to be many in a game as big as Skyrim. Others have felt that the game’s quests are too repetitive. To that, all I can say is that these guys must have never had to grind dailies in WoW! Overall, it is fair to say that the main storyline is probably not the equal of what Dragon Age or Mass Effect offer; but I’ve found Skyrim’s side quests to be of greater interest and greater depth. And this is perhaps fitting for an open world CRPG. I also think that even a casual gamer is going to be blown away by the look, sound and overall feel of this game – even if they never finish the game.

So. Is it worth paying full price for Skyrim? For CRPG fans and WoW-burnouts, I think the game offers enough to be worth paying full price. The replay value should far exceed that of either Dragon Age or Mass Effect owing to the number of different factions you can join and just the sheer size of the game world. Shooter fans looking for a CRPG to try would be better served by Mass Effect 2. I think that casual gamers will find Skyrim’s game mechanics more approachable in comparison to either Dragon Age or Mass Effect, and Skyrim is certainly going to be easier to play as there is really only one character to manage. However, for that casual gamer, you might want to wait for a price drop.

• Fear of bugs that Bethesda never patches on the consoles
• I’ve got a gaming PC that is more than good enough for this game
• I can get the game on Steam
• Mods . . . and the patches they may bring

The decision was harder than it should have been as Bethesda seems to have not put much work into eye candy specific to the PC. There is also the need to finally spring for a game controller for my PC – as the posts of PC gamers seem to be universally unhappy with the keyboard and mouse UI in Skyrim.Wow! I may actually buy something at Best Buy or GameStop . . .

All of this is not unexpected . . . and reinforces my belief that mainstream gaming is leaving the PC behind. Blizzard is swimming hard against the current, but I don’t know if it will be enough to save the PC as a major gaming platform. Anyway. Once I get some work out of the way, I hope to be exploring Tamriel later this weekend.

The “they” being GameStop. Another great comic by Scott Johnson. Well done, sir!

Speaking of SWTOR, I nearly canceled my pre-order. EA’s online gaming service, Origin, had a seriously user hostile EULA. Gamer outrage over the EULA has actually resulted in EA releasing a less evil sounding version. I know I should be mollified, but I’m still annoyed that we can’t opt-out of all data collection. I know, this may not be so different from what I endure with both Steam and Battlenet; but Blizzard and (to a lesser extent) Valve have earned a measure of trust that EA has yet to earn. In fact, as some may recall, EA is in negative karma territory with me; hence the antipathy. If I could sandbox Origin on my PC, I would. If SWTOR disappoints, I’ll re-image my gaming machine and exorcise this foul demon . . .

So, what do I have on tap with Steam?

• Dragon Age (still have some of the original DLC to complete)
• Civ 5 (kind of burned out for now, DLC notwithstanding)
• Portal 2
• Fallout 3
• Universe Sandbox

I’m thinking of adding the following to my Steam library:

• Witcher 2 (when it drops in price)
• Deus Ex: Human Revolution (encouraging reviews)
• Dragon Age 2 (if it ever comes back to Steam . . . so glad I passed on the initial release of this game!)

I read a review that said something to the effect that DEHR is what Mass Effect 2 should have been, and that is tempting me to buy now.

So. What have I been doing? Other than work related stuff, I haven’t been doing as much as I would like. Some reading, a little hiking, a little photography and a lot of research into home audio. Guess I should get around to finishing ME2, as almost subconsciously I think I am may be gearing up for some serious time playing Star Wars: The Old Republic when it is released . . . maybe next year? ;p

The silliness began when the law of unintended consequences kicked in; the banned user was unable to play Dragon Age 2 as the DRM requires the use of a EA/Bioware account. EA now says that this is an isolated incident that was not intended; but that doesn’t ring true. This was clearly a design flaw in their DRM scheme. One that they claim is fixed now. Only I doubt that it would have been fixed if this user’s story wasn’t getting coverage . . . call me cynical if you must.

That isn’t the end of the bad press for Dragon Age 2. One early review (also from Rock, Paper, Shotgun) pans much of the early game experience. The responses to the author’s impressions of his early game experience are nothing if not entertaining. It is interesting that so few took exception to what sounds like some real problems with the game; and I must admit that I feel a certain sense of vindication with passing on the pre-order.

I’m still not sure if I want to pay full price or wait for Dragon Age 2 to get discounted before I buy. I’m still having fun with the earlier installment in what I still regard as the best fantasy CRPG franchise available. Perhaps I’m still regretting paying a premium for the collector’s edition of ME2 – which I still haven’t finished due to disappointments with it.

I go through cycles. I am a gamer and a reader. There are years where I am a gamer that also reads, and years where I am a reader that also does some gaming. I enjoyed the story and the dialog in Bioware’s classic CRPGs, but the quality of the story seems to be regressing of late. There is clearly a worrisome pattern developing related to story and story telling with the second installments of both ME and DA.

CRPGs can only be truly great if their story and gameplay are top notch and if the presentation enhances both aspects of a game. Bioware seems to be faltering in all areas. It is particularly sad that with all the expense that Bioware puts into voiced dialog, your in-game dialog choices are so often utter crap. Every dialog miscue is a sour note; and mediocre story makes for boring music. Hopefully things get better later in the game. I am definitely waiting to see what the reviewers think before I buy.

I’m not taking this.  I won’t bite on DA 2 until I can buy it on Steam at a fair price.  What is currently on offer is not fair.  As I’ve said before, if DA 2 is good, it will be just as good when I can get it in “Ultimate Edition” form; and I’ll save 50% off the game’s release (and pre-order) price and that for all of the DLC.  I am a fan of the Dragon Age franchise, but I’m not Bioware/EA’s tool.

It is sad that so many Steam gamers are going to be taken in by this . . .

A New Year's Gift from Amazon

Just a quick note that Amazon has a deal on Xbox LIVE memberships.  The deal is only for the version that ships inside a plastic box with some dead tree.  It is NOT for the Online Game Code version.  While it should almost go without saying, this is NOT the Family Pack version either – just the Individual version.

Here is a link to the 12 month Xbox LIVE Gold membership cards. The card can be used to create a new individual membership or to extend an existing membership.

Oh!  How good is the deal?  $39.99 instead of the usual $59.99.  Now get moving!

UPDATE (1/17) – - Too late. The deal is over. There is a third-party offering the card via Amazon, but they want $49.99. Caveat emptor!!

There is a special promotion involving the pre-order for DA 2, and it expires in a few days.  This is not, as some have suggested, a means to force customers into buying physical media or buying directly from the EA store.  The promotional offer is available for pre-order on Impluse, Stardock Software’s Digital Download Store.  If you want it, jump on it this weekend!  Only, you can’t do so if you prefer to buy your games via Steam.

Stardock are good guys and all, but they are not Steam.  Steam is multi-platform for those games that support the Mac, Steam supports a portable saved game system, and it is the best way to effortlessly get your Steam game collection installed on any PC or Mac that you own.  Bought a new gaming rig recently?  Just drop Steam on there, and you can get your entire Steam game collection on the new system overnight (assuming you have good Internet).  This may even include your saved games (not all games support this Steam feature).

What’s that about multi-platform?  I bought Civ V last fall; and, when it recently was released for the Mac, it magically appeared in my Steam download queue on all my Macs.  How cool is that!?!  But I digress . . .

So.  What to do?  I am voting with my dollars.  Bad, BioWare!  Bad, EA!  No pre-order for you!  If I have to, I’ll wait and buy the super discounted “Ultimate” edition that will doubtless be available on Steam later this year.  I save more than 50% off the price of the game, and I get the game my way . . . on Steam.

BioWare and EA are acting like they are literally the only game in town.  Bad news, guys.  You are not, never were, and never will be the only game in town!!  I have plenty of good games to play that I already own.  There are going to be more than a few worthwhile game releases that more or less coincide with the release of Dragon Age 2.  I don’t lose anything by waiting few months.

In fairness, it is always possible that a similar promotion may come to Steam users at a later date.  However, I urge all Steam users to be cautious about hitting the “Buy” button for this particular game.  At the very worst, BioWare and EA are hoping that Steam users don’t know about the special promotion, and don’t mind paying a Steam tax – paying extra for what others got for free.  If the worst turns out to be true, I hope that BioWare and EA are punished with less than great sales numbers.  They will have earned it.

If you are the activist sort, according to this post in the DA BioWare forum you can register your complaint with EA:

Andrew Wong
Sr. PR Manager
Electronic Arts
650-628-7281
awong@ea.com

While it may amuse you, I don’t think it is going to help matters if you begin your message with a, “Dear Mr. Wong,  You are a dick!”  Less flame; more honest expression of disappointment, please.  I’m fairly certain a short, simple, non-emotional note is going to be the most helpful.

Longer term (and assuming you value Steam), just don’t buy the game until it shows up on Steam . . . and make sure it is for sale at a reasonable price.

UPDATE:  BioWare is expunging all references to this Dragon Age II EA Press Announcement from the DA 2 forum.  I guess the suits don’t want to hear from the little people.  The “where do I send email and to whom if I want to protest” thing began a while ago.  The first suggestion from BioWare was to contact Customer Service.  When someone did so, they were referred by Customer Service to the contacts on the Press Release – specifically to Mr. Wong.  Then the BioWare Forum Moderator starts deleting the EA PR contact information from all messages in the forum, and tells folk to talk to Customer Service instead.  If I was Chris Priestly (the moderator in question), I would be hating my job . . . he looks like such a tool.

UPDATE (1/8):  And BioWare has locked the thread.

Deals with Valve (Steam) can be made, and are being made.  Big publishers, including EA, are doing so with some big titles.  In this instance, the deal  hasn’t been made yet.

Major franchises that have their latest and greatest on Steam:

• Assassin’s Creed (Ubisoft)
• Battlefield: Bad Company (EA)
• Call of Duty (Activision)
• Fallout (Bethesda)

In short, there is no evidence that Valve is imposing some new and grossly unfair deal on the publishers.  Valve’s position appears static.  If more publishers were doing as BioWare/EA appear to be doing, then I would agree that there is reason to point the finger at Valve; but that is just not the case.

On the other hand, it is no secret that EA is jealous of Valve’s Steam service.  One can see a scenario where BioWare/EA might want to encourage digital download sales with anyone other than Steam; and that scenario would look exactly like what is going on right now.

I think it is reasonable to conclude that the onus is on BioWare/EA to explain why they suddenly can’t make deals with Valve when they have done so in the past with DA and in the present with Battlefield.  It is telling that they no longer want DA 2 fans to know what is going on regarding digital sales via Steam.